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Thursday, October 06, 2016

UniFirst To Back Kahne At Hendrick Motorsports

UniFirst and Hendrick
Motorsports have reached an eight-year agreement to make the workwear and
textile service company a primary sponsor of the No. 5 Chevrolet SS driven by
Kasey Kahne through the 2023 season.

As the new Official
Workwear Provider of Hendrick Motorsports, UniFirst will serve as primary
sponsor in two races both 2016 and 2017, with the relationship increasing to
three primary races each year from 2018-2023. In addition, UniFirst will be a
full-season associate sponsor of the No. 5 team.

UniFirst will debut with
back-to-back races; Oct. 23 at Talladega Superspeedway and Oct. 30 at
Martinsville Speedway. As part of the new relationship, UniFirst will supply
work clothing and uniforms to Hendrick Motorsports and sister company Hendrick
Automotive Group, which is the largest privately held retail automotive
organization in the United States.

“UniFirst is excited
to be a primary sponsor of Kasey and Hendrick Motorsports,” said Adam Soreff,
director of marketing and communications for UniFirst. “This partnership is a
great opportunity for our company because Hendrick Motorsports is one of the
premier -- and most highly respected -- teams in professional auto racing. UniFirst’s
broad customer base, which includes 300,000 business locations across North
America, employs thousands of enthusiastic NASCAR fans, so this relationship is
a natural fit. We’re extremely proud to have the UniFirst brand represented in
such a dynamic atmosphere.”

“When a sponsor feels
strongly enough to commit for eight years, it sends a clear message,” said Rick
Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “There’s tremendous excitement about
the opportunities our team and our sport present for UniFirst. They have a
reputation for world-class service, the highest quality products and services,
and having incredible people. We share a similar mindset and culture, and we’re
looking forward to working together across our entire organization.”

Since joining Hendrick
Motorsports in 2012, Kahne, 36, has earned three Chase for the NASCAR Sprint
Cup berths and five race wins with the No. 5 team. The Enumclaw, Washington,
native has 17 career victories, 27 pole positions and 166 top-10 finishes in
NASCAR’s top division.

"UniFirst will be a
great addition to our partners at Hendrick Motorsports,” said Kahne, a 17-time
Sprint Cup Series race winner and three-time Chase qualifier. “They’re a
reliable company that we’ve worked with at Kasey Kahne Racing for a long time,
so I was happy to hear they are coming on board. I’m looking forward to having
them as part of the No. 5 team and working with them in the years to come.”